Qualify In Three Weeks. Teach All Season.
One path, with the same group, on the same mountain. Our ski instructor internship at Sun Peaks has no fork in the road: you qualify, you teach full time, and you go for Level 2.
First 3 weeks · everyone together
Level 1 Training And Exams.
12 days of CSIA Level 1 training, then 3 days of exams. Your accommodation and a meal plan of 15 dinners are included while you train.
After Level 1 · until early April
Teach Full Time.
- A full-time job with the Sun Peaks Sports School
- Around 20 hours a week, at around $20 CAD an hour
- 8 days of Level 2 training through the season
- Staff housing at around $650 CAD a month, paid from your wages
February to March
Level 2 Modules And Exams.
Modules in February and exams in March, 4 to 6 days in all, and you keep teaching around them. Pass, and you finish the winter as a CSIA Level 2 ski instructor.
Your Internship, In Full.
One option at Sun Peaks: the full paid season. Every number you need is here, including the ones you pay once you're out there.
The Sun Peaks option
Standard Internship
The classic full paid season, on a big mountain.
Price
£7,200
Hold your place with a £300 deposit
Hold my place Or WhatsApp us about Sun Peaks- Length
- 19 to 23 weeks
- Start
- 21 to 27 November 2027
- Level 1 training
- 12 days, plus 3 days of exams
- Level 2 training
- 8 days, plus 4 to 6 days of modules and exams
- Job
- Full time at Sun Peaks, around 20 hours a week
- Pay
- Around $20 CAD an hour
- Accommodation
- First 3 weeks included, then staff housing around $650 CAD a month, paid by you
- Meals
- 15 dinners over the first 3 weeks
- Finish
- Early April 2028
Want more training and accommodation included? See the Hybrid at Panorama or Big White.
You don't need your visa before booking.
It's the thing everyone worries about first. Book your place, then we help you through the IEC Working Holiday visa process 7 days a week, with our PDF guide alongside.
Sun Peaks is ski only.
Snowboarders, our snowboard internship at Panorama runs the same way, with CASI instead of CSIA. Or compare all our ski instructor courses.
How Booking Works.
Small steps, spread out. Talk to us early if you need to adjust, rather than going quiet.
01
£300 deposit holds your place
Paid into our ATOL-bonded account, so your money is protected.
02
£1,000 deposit, 20 weeks before you fly
Due 20 weeks before you fly. For a late November start, that means early July.
03
Balance 12 weeks before you fly
The final balance, due 12 weeks before you fly. For a late November start, that means late August.
04
Pay it your way
Pay each amount when it's due, or spread it in equal weekly or monthly standing orders that run until 2 weeks before you fly.
Visa not approved? You can have a full refund, or move your deposit to a course that doesn't need a working visa.
What Past Interns Say.
The detail behind the winterWant To Go Full Snow Geek?
The detail behind the winter, for anyone who wants to know exactly what they are signing up for. Open whichever catches your eye.
How Your Season RunsLate November to early April, in six stages
Your LevelsTwo CSIA levels this winter, and the next step
Your Levels.
Two CSIA levels this winter, and the next step if you want it.
-
1First 3 weeks
CSIA Level 1
12 days of training, then 3 days of exams.
Level 1 gets you in the door. Pass, and you start teaching at the Sun Peaks Sports School.
-
28 days of training
CSIA Level 2
Plus 4 to 6 days of modules and exams in February and March, all included.
Level 2 makes you employable. It is the qualification most snow schools look for.
-
3Next season
CSIA Level 3
Already Level 2? Our Level 3 Internship at Sun Peaks gives you 30 days of training around a paid job.
Not part of this internship. It is the next chapter, if you want it.
Ask us about this course ›
What does each level let you teach? Our CSIA Qualification Guide explains it in plain English.
Where You LiveOne home all season, in the lower resort village
Where You Live.
One home all season, in the lower resort village. You move in when you arrive, and you don't move again after Level 1.
Top, the Burfield staff house. Below, life in the village, a short bus ride or a forest walk away.
All season
Staff Housing, Lower Village.
Simple, space-efficient apartments with a kitchenette and a small dining and lounge area. It's practical and close to resort life, not luxury, and we won't pretend otherwise.
The main village is a 25 minute walk along a forest trail, or a regular bus. Staff housing is in high demand at ski resorts, so we arrange yours before you fly.
- Type
- Staff apartments with a kitchenette
- Rooms
- 2 per room
- Couples
- Can share
- To the village
- 25 minute walk on a forest trail, or a regular bus
- Rent
- First 3 weeks included, then around $650 CAD a month, paid by you
Sun Peaks And The Sports SchoolThe resort you live in, and the snow school you work for
Sun Peaks And The Sports School.
The resort you live in, and the snow school you work for.
The resort
Big Mountain, Small Village.
Sun Peaks sits about an hour from Kamloops in the BC interior. It's Canada's second largest ski area, spread across three mountains, with over 2,000 hours of sunshine a year and light, dry snow. The village is pedestrian only and ski-in, ski-out. It's friendly and sociable, with First Fridays and a big New Year's Eve in the village, just not a party town.
- Ski area
- 4,400 acres, second largest in Canada
- Snow
- About 6m a year
- Sunshine
- Over 2,000 hours a year
- Internship
- Ski only
The ski school
Your Employer For The Winter.
You work for the Sun Peaks Sports School, with an employment offer in place before you fly. Pass Level 1 and you're on the lesson board, teaching full time for the rest of the season.
Expect around 20 hours a week at around $20 CAD an hour, busier in the holidays and quieter in between. That roughly covers your rent and food. Bring savings for days off and kit.
Getting ThereFlights, transfers and arriving at Sun Peaks
Getting There.
Fly with us and your transfers are included. Book your own flights and the transfer is still included, as long as you arrive within the time window we send you.
Fly into
YKA
Kamloops
Transfer to
Sun Peaks
Included
What's Included And What's NotThe full bill, before you book
What's Included And What's Not.
Included
- 12 days of CSIA Level 1 training and 3 days of exams
- 8 days of Level 2 training, plus 4 to 6 days of modules and exams
- Accommodation for the Level 1 phase, and 15 dinners over the first 3 weeks
- Employment offer from the Sun Peaks Sports School
- Season lift pass, for training and as staff
- Visa assistance 7 days a week, plus our PDF guide
- SIN number appointment support in Canada
- Airport and resort transfers within Canada
- CSIA membership and video analysis
- WSC goodie bag, and discounts at resort shops and on big-brand equipment
Not included, budget for these
- Return flightsaround £750
- Travel and medical insurance£900 to £1,200
- Food outside the meal planaround $150 to $200 CAD a week
- Equipment, if you need it£450 to £1,200
- Single room supplementask at booking
- Staff housing after the first 3 weeksaround $650 CAD a month
We'd rather you saw the full bill now than found it in February.
Who It's For, And Who It Isn'tWho this suits, and who should look elsewhere
Who It's For, And Who It Isn't.
Great for
- Skiers who want a full paid season on a big mountain, with a close-knit village to come home to
- Intermediate to strong intermediate skiers
- Anyone who wants to teach a lot, with plenty of mountain to do it on
Not for
- Snowboarders, as Sun Peaks is ski only
- Anyone wanting the Hybrid, which runs at Panorama and Big White
- Anyone who wants a big night out every night
Who Can Apply.
Different passport? Talk to us, there may still be a way.
- Aged 18 to 35 with a UK, Irish, Australian or New Zealand passport, so the IEC Working Holiday visa is open to you
- An intermediate to strong intermediate skier
- Able to show $2,500 CAD at the border
Other Ways To Do A SeasonDifferent resort, more training, or a different board
Other Ways To Do A Season.
Different resort, more training, or a different board. There is probably a version that fits.
Ski Instructor Internship · Panorama
Our main training hub. Standard and Hybrid, with staff housing in Invermere. See Panorama ›Ski Instructor Internship · Big White
Live in our chalet in the middle of the village. Standard and Hybrid. See Big White ›CSIA Level 3 Internship · Sun Peaks
Already Level 2? A full season of Level 3 training around a paid job. £5,200. Ask us about this course ›Snowboard Instructor Internship · Panorama
The CASI version, for snowboarders. See the snowboard internship ›The Mini Internship, Panorama
A shorter winter, built around teaching over Christmas. See the Mini Internship ›Revelstoke To Nova Scotia: Train To Work
Level 1 at Revelstoke, plus a paid instructing job in Nova Scotia, in one winter. See the course ›Still weighing it up? Compare all our ski instructor courses.
Before You Decide, Take These.
Free guides for internship skiers. Read the comparison and cost guides before anyone's price list, ours included.
Internship Comparison Guide
How much of your winter is training, exams, shadowing, paid work and free skiing. A realistic breakdown rather than brochure fluff.
Read the guide ›
Ultimate Internship Guide
Training, exams, accommodation, resort jobs, visas and costs, plus what life is actually like on a Canadian instructor internship.
Read the guide ›
Resort Comparison Guide
Big White, Sun Peaks, Panorama or Revelstoke. Mountain size, snowfall, accommodation, nightlife, terrain, and who each one genuinely suits.
Read the guide ›
CSIA Qualification Guide
Level 1 gets you in the door, Level 2 makes you employable, Level 3 makes it a career. What each one lets you teach, and what the exams ask of you.
Read the guide ›
Skiing Ability Guide
Work out your real level, what each course expects on day one, and whether to train now, arrive early or pick a different programme.
Read the guide ›
Real Cost Of A Season
The course fee is the headline, not the total. Flights, insurance, food, kit, the visa, and the money you have to land with.
Read the guide ›
Course Price Calculator
Course fee, flights, insurance, food, kit and spending money. Move the sliders and watch the real total, with no hidden extras.
Read the guide ›
How To Book
When to secure your place, what happens if you leave it late, and how to avoid losing the resort, room type or programme you wanted.
Read the guide ›
Visa Pool Entry Guide, Part 1
When to enter the IEC pool, what to do while you wait, and how visa timing affects booking, flights, insurance and resort work.
Read the guide ›
Insurance Guide For Internships
The cover you genuinely need for an internship, and the gaps that catch people out. We are not brokers, so this is advice rather than a sales pitch.
Read the guide ›
Girls On Tour
A big sister chat to calm those nerves and answer the common concerns of travelling on your own.
Read the guide ›
What Nobody Tells You
Jet lag, supermarket prices, and the quiet week in January when your hours drop. The bits that never make the brochure.
Read the guide ›
Travel And Flights Guide
How we get you from your door to the slopes. Baggage allowances, booking windows, transfers, and why an ATOL certificate is worth having.
Read the guide ›
Fitness Guide
Arrive stronger and fitter for long training days, exams, cold weather and the occasional ego check from Canadian terrain.
Read the guide ›
What To Take
A packing checklist for the whole season. Ski gear, travel essentials, documents, tech and the things people always forget.
Read the guide ›
Clothing Essentials
Base layers, ski socks, gloves, helmets and après layers. What to wear for a full Canadian winter, and what not to bother buying.
Read the guide ›Straight Answers.
The questions people ask before they choose, answered the way we would on WhatsApp.
What does the Sun Peaks internship include?
12 days of Level 1 training and 3 days of exams, 8 days of Level 2 training plus modules and exams, a season lift pass, 3 weeks of accommodation with a meal plan, and a full-time instructor job after Level 1.
Do I need my visa before I book?
No. You can book first and we help you through the IEC Working Holiday visa process 7 days a week.
Where will I live at Sun Peaks?
In staff housing in the lower resort village, 2 per room. The first 3 weeks are included, then it's around $650 CAD a month, paid from your wages. The main village is a 25 minute walk along a forest trail, or a regular bus.
Can snowboarders do the Sun Peaks internship?
No, Sun Peaks is ski only.
Which airport do I fly into?
Kamloops. Your transfer to Sun Peaks is included, as long as you arrive within the time window we send you.
Am I protected if something goes wrong?
Yes. We are ATOL bonded and you get an ATOL certificate when you book.
How do I pay?
A £300 deposit holds your place. Then a £1,000 deposit is due 20 weeks before you fly and the final balance 12 weeks before you fly, or you can spread it in equal weekly or monthly standing orders that run until 2 weeks before you fly.
What if my visa is not approved?
You can have a full refund, or move your deposit to a course that does not need a working visa.
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